New single sculler for New Zealand team

The reigning World Champion in the women’s single, Emma Twigg is taking the season off from competitive rowing and Fiona Bourke will take the spot that Twigg has held for eight seasons. Bourke was part of the winning women’s double sculls at last year’s World Rowing Championships and her position in the double has gone to Eve Macfarlane. Macfarlane will join Zoe Stevenson.

The women’s pair has a new combination. World Under-23 Champions and World Champions in the women’s four, Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast will take the place of longstanding pair rower and Olympic medallist, Rebecca Scown and injured partner Louise Trappitt. Gowler and Predergast will also race in the women’s eight.

World Champions in the lightweight women’s double sculls, Julia Edward and Sophie MacKenzie remain in the same boat.  For the lightweight men’s double sculls, Olympic bronze medallist Peter Taylor is back to sculling after a stint in the lightweight men’s four. Taylor has been teamed up with Hayden Cohen, the younger brother of Olympic Champion Nathan Cohen.

[PHOTO src=”118348″ size=”mediumLandscape” align=”right”]
Sophie McKenzie at the 2015 New Zealand National Championships © Steve McArthur

This means one change to the silver medal winning lightweight men’s four. Younger brother of Hamish Bond, Alistair Bond joins the boat of Curtis Rapley, James Lassche and James Hunter.

There is no surprise to see Hamish Bond and Eric Murray back in the men’s pair, while Mahe Drysdale has held his position in the men’s single sculls. Bond and Murray will go after their sixth consecutive World Championship title. Drysdale will try to win back the top spot in the single after finishing second to Ondrej Synek of the Czech Republic in 2014.

Chris Harris makes his debut in the men’s double sculls. Harris raced at the 2012 Olympic Games in the men’s four and then last year in the men’s quadruple sculls. He will team up with regular in the double, Robbie Manson. Manson raced with his younger brother, Karl in 2014 where they finished eighth overall. This puts Karl Manson into the men’s quad. He will be joined by 2008 Olympic medallist, George Bridgewater. Bridgewater took bronze in the pair at the Beijing Olympics before retiring from international rowing, moving to Oxford University and then taking up a career in finance. Bridgewater decided to make a bid for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and came back to rowing in late 2014, working his way into the New Zealand squad. Also in the quad is John Storey and Jade Uru.

The large team also includes a men’s and women’s eight. The men’s eight is made up predominantly of the World Champion Under-23 eight while the women’s boat is a new line-up.

The team will compete at the World Rowing Cup II in Varese, Italy in June , World Rowing Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland in July and the World Rowing Championships in Aiguebelette, France at the end of August. The World Rowing Championships also acts as the main qualification regatta for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

2015 New Zealand Rowing Team

Women’s Single Sculls
Fiona Bourke

Women’s Double Sculls
Zoe Stevenson
Eve Macfarlane

Women’s Pair
Kerri Gowler
Grace Prendergast

Women’s Quadruple Sculls
Erin-Monique O’Brien
Lucy Spoors
Georgia Perry
Sarah Gray

Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls
Julia Edward
Sophie MacKenzie

Lightweight Women’s Single Scull
Zoe McBride

Women’s Eight
Rebecca Scown
Genevieve Behrent
Kerri Gowler
Grace Prendergast
Kelsey Bevan
Ruby Tew
Emma Dyke
Kayla Pratt
Cox – Francie Turner

Men’s Single Sculls
Mahe Drysdale

Men’s Pair
Hamish Bond
Eric Murray

Men’s Double Sculls
Chris Harris
Robbie Manson

Men’s Quadruple Sculls
John Storey
George Bridgewater
Jade Uru
Karl Manson

Lightweight Men’s Four
Curtis Rapley
Alistair Bond
James Lassche
James Hunter

Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls
Peter Taylor
Hayden Cohen

 Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls
Adam Ling

Men’s Four
Anthony Allen
Alex Bardoul
Bobby Kells
Finn Howard

Men’s Eight
Stephen Jones
Brook Robertson
Alex Kennedy
Joe Wright
Isaac Grainger
Shaun Kirkham
Michael Brake
Tom Murray
Cox – Caleb Shepherd